Never Us is a rock band from Phoenix Arizona that infuses many different popular music genres into their songs.

Please list all of your band members and their roles in the band. 

Steven Parent: Never Us consists of myself on drums, Jesse Clark on vocals, Chad Ralph on bass guitar, Kegan DeBacker on guitar, and Jordan Cuadras on guitar. 

For starters, what bands were you guys a part of prior to Never Us? How long has the band been around? 

Steven: I've personally been a part of many unsigned bands in my area. I was in the punk band Inept Hero which is also based in the area and I am currently in a band called Tapestrees which if I were to describe it broadly is progressive rock. I've been in many other bands of many different styles over the years. This band has been together roughly 4 years, although I've only been the drummer for a couple of years now. 

Chad: I’ve been in a couple bands prior to Never Us. I was in a post-hardcore band that I played guitar in when I lived in Tucson. And then I switched to bass when I was in a blues/alt rock band called HeadStrum with my childhood friends when I moved back to Queen Creek. 

Jesse Clark: I have been in many projects prior to Never Us. Overall, ranging from deathcore to Pop. 

Kegan DeBacker: I have been playing music since I was a kid honestly. Like Jesse I’ve been in multiple projects from metalcore to pop. 

What’s the origin of that name and have you changed the band’s name before? 

Jesse Clark: Never Us came from a really long brainstorming session. We threw out everything we could think up. One night, I sent a text to our bands' manager Matt Good, asking if NVUS was a good name. He thought it sounded like Never Us and so we kept it, haha. 

Who writes your songs? What are the main themes or topics for most of your songs and do you think these topics will change over time? 

Chad: It’s kind of funny, we all write our songs in some way or form, just depends on the song and what we start with. One of us will have an idea of a melody or chord progression that we have and then we’ll work around that idea and map out the song. The demos are usually just guitars and programmed drums and sometimes bass, and then it gets sent to everyone to continue writing and getting ideas across. Finally, when we feel like it’s done, we’ll wait to go in and record and get the final product done in the studio. 

What bands are currently inspiring the music that you’re making? 

Jesse Clark: For myself, definitely state champs and issues. They really encompass a vocal tone that I enjoy. 

Kegan DeBacker: All kinds of music inspires me lately. I really like Goldroom, Nothing Nowhere and a lot of modern rap actually haha. But, I think it is the interesting variety of all our musical tastes that allow us to create an interesting mix in our own sound. 

Was there a particular band/artist or concert that inspired you to start a band? 

Chad: My first concert even though they’re a bit older now, was ZZTop, and that was when I realized that I wanna be a musician and start a band and tour. 

Kegan DeBacker: I was inspired by Funeral For a Friend when I first heard them in the early 2000s. Always the the emotion on a lot of their records. I was really big into the emo rock wave when I was younger so a lot of those bands definitely gave me inspiration. Silverstein, Hawthorne Heights, Taking Back Sunday, etc. 

What do you do to prepare for a show? Any flexing, exercises, etc … 

Jesse Clark: Steven eats Thai food, Chad is a mystery, Kegan listens to hardcore rap, and I like to jog or do some type of cardio. 

What has been the biggest highlight of the band’s career so far? 

Jesse Clark: I think just getting Matt Good to lay down his iconic voice on a track with us has been such a huge honor. 

Kegan DeBacker: Definitely would be going into the studio with Matt Good. Putting all the songs together and hearing the final product is a feeling unlike any other. 

If you could tour with any bands, past or present, who would they be and why? 

Chad: I would love to tour with Slaves, Dance Gavin Dance and Belmont. Amazing bands with similar sounds that I think would be a fun tour to do in the future. 

Kegan DeBacker: I would agree with Chad in his line-up I would just add in Issues. Big fan of their mix of sound and I think we would be a great fit to play alongside them.

Is there anything else you would like to add? 

Kegan DeBacker: Our new song Retrograde is out now on Itunes, Spotify, and Youtube! Give it a listen and if you want to follow the band, You can find us on Instagram@neverusofficial and on Facebook.